Bumblebee research in the Faroe Islands

Garðahumla / Bombus hortorum

Bombus hortorum

Jens-Kjeld Jensen & Rinke Vinkenoog Jens-Kjeld Jensen & Rinke Vinkenoog Jens-Kjeld Jensen & Rinke Vinkenoog

Jens-Kjeld Jensen & Rinke Vinkenoog
Tórshavn 12.08.2024: In connection with the English Shannon Marie writing her PhD about bumblebees, and about which plants they will get used to living on, as they and everything else living moves north to avoid the heat in Europe, she and her Dutch supervisor, Professor Rinke Vinkenoog in the Faroe Islands at the moment.
So exciting with all the foreign researchers who come to the Faroe Islands, and from whom we - if we are still curious enough - can learn so much.
In the pictures, J-K and Rinke can be seen discussing the bumblebees' favorite garden plants, while countless bumblebees of various species flew between them.
Tórshavn 12.08.2024:

Bombus


Garden bumblebee Bombus hortorum
Garðahumla / Bombus hortorum
Tórshavn 06.08.2024
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Skansin, Tórshavn 01.07.2024 - video
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Garðahumla / Bombus hortorum Garðahumla / Bombus hortorum Garðahumla / Bombus hortorum

Tórshavn 30.07.2023

Garðahumla / Bombus hortorum Garðahumla / Bombus hortorum Garðahumla / Bombus hortorum

Tórshavn 18.06.2023

Bombus hortorum Bombus hortorum

The Garden bumblebee was recorded in several places in Tórshavn in 2022 by Árant Ziska. This is the first time that this species has been registered in the Faroe Islands.


Tree bumblebee Bombus hypnorum

Bombus hypnorum Bombus hypnorum

On 10 August 2021, Jóna Danielsen found a Tree bumblebee on the road in Tórshavn. This is the first record of this species in the Faroe Islands. In 2022, the species was quite common in large parts of Tórshavn.

Bombus hypnorum

Bombus hypnorum Bombus hypnorum Bombus hypnorum

Bombus hypnorum Bombus hypnorum Bombus hypnorum

Tórshavn 07.07.2024

Bombus hypnorum Bombus hypnorum

Tórshavn 04.07.2024

Bumblebee Bombus lucorum (Linnaeus, 1761)

Bombus lucorum Bombus lucorum

Bombus lucorum Bombus lucorum Bombus lucorum Bombus lucorum

Dalavegur, Tórshavn 07.07.2019
Danish, Scottish and German bumble bee specialists do not agree on why these bumblebees are white. Therefore, they are subjected to DNA studies in Germany in the fall.
Update: DNA studies in Germany have established that the bumblebees are of the species Bombus lucorum (Linnaeus, 1761).
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Tórshavn 16.05.2024 - video


Buff-tailed bumblebee Bombus terrestris

Bombus terrestris Bombus terrestris

Dánial Jespersen found this dark Buff-tailed bumblebee in Tvøroyri 27.05.2017. This is the first time that this species has been registered in the Faroe Islands.

Possibly a Buff-tailed bumblebee, photographed in Tórshavn

Bombus terrestris?

Tórshavn 18.06.2023

Bumblebee Bombus lucorum (Linnaeus, 1761)

Bombus lucorum

We got this queen on 17.04.2018. We had her in care for one night and released her again the next morning. She had no mites.

Bumblebee Bombus lucorum (Linnaeus, 1761) infested with mites

Tórshavn 21.08.2016

Bombus lucorum Bombus lucorum

Bombus lucorum Bombus lucorum Bombus lucorum

Bombus lucorum queen heavily infested with mites

Mottur / Mites Mottur / Mites

When we removed the mites of the queen, there were 811 in total

Bombus lucorum
Bombus lucorum Bombus lucorum

The Bombus lucorum male did not have as many mites as the queen, but still he had more then enough to kill him.


Bumblebee nest found in Argir

Argir 20.03.2016
Bumblebee / Bombus lucorum (Linnaeus, 1761) Bumblebee / Bombus lucorum (Linnaeus, 1761) Bumblebee / Bombus lucorum (Linnaeus, 1761)
Bombus lucorum Bombus lucorum

Elias Joensen lives on Reynsgøta in Argir, and his house is in 90 meters hight. The other day as he worked in his garden, he found a bumblebee nest from last summer, where a Bombus lucorum bumblebee had a stay. A bumble bee nest consists of small "pots" where the bumblebee nurture its descendants. The nest is used for only one year.
It will be very interesting to see, if any of these bumblebees have survived the Faroese winter.


NEW SPECIES OF BUMBLEBEE FOUND BREEDING IN THE FAROE ISLANDS

Bumblebee Bombus pratorum (Linnaeus, 1761), Signabøur 05.07.2010
Bombus pratorum (Linnaeus, 1761) Bombus pratorum (Linnaeus, 1761) Bombus pratorum (Linnaeus, 1761) Bombus pratorum (Linnaeus, 1761)
Bombus pratorum (Linnaeus, 1761) Bombus pratorum (Linnaeus, 1761) Bombus pratorum (Linnaeus, 1761) Bombus pratorum (Linnaeus, 1761)

Bumblebee Bombus pratorum (Linnaeus, 1761)

The first bumblebee that we know of, was caught in the Faroe Islands in 1887. Since then there have been some very few observations from some of the different islands. Lately there has been an increasing amount of bumblebee observations, and even if we have no proof, everything interprets, that they breed here.
Bumblebee has breed in the Faroes in the past, especially in the Viking Age, when the climate was warmer then now.
In Iceland they had 3 different species of bumblebees, but this year the variety of species have increased with 2 new breeding species, counting 5 in all. In Shetland they have 6 different species.
The different species of bumblebee looks different as well as they vary in size and colour. Some are yellow and white striped and other are black and red behind. They do have one thing in common, they are built strong, they hum and they are hairy.
I am collecting all information’s about bumblebees in the Faroes, and in that connection I am interested in hearing from people who see or have seen bumblebees, perhaps have a photo or even might have caught one.
I am interested in any kind of information!

Contact me on phone 327064, e-mail jkjensen@olivant.fo or nolsoy@gmail.com
Bombus pratorum (Linnaeus, 1761) Bombus pratorum (Linnaeus, 1761) Bombus pratorum (Linnaeus, 1761)

Bumblebee Bombus pratorum (Linnaeus, 1761)

Updated 14. July 2010: I was nearly bombarded with information’s from all over the country after the bulletin about bumblebees was spread in the news in the Faroese television "Dagur & Vika" 06. July. Everybody believed, they had or had seen bumblebees in their garden. Some were right, although most of the “bumblebees” showed to be Eristalis intricarius. Even if I am far from finished double-checking all the information’s, I can conclude, that bumblebees are breeding in the Faroe Islands, and I am of course still interested in any kind of information’s about this matter.

Hoverfly / Eristalis intricarius (Linnaeus, 1758) Hoverfly / Eristalis intricarius (Linnaeus, 1758) Hoverfly / Eristalis intricarius (Linnaeus, 1758) Hoverfly / Eristalis intricarius (Linnaeus, 1758)

Hoverfly Eristalis intricarius (Linnaeus, 1758)


Bumblebee Bombus lucorum (Linnaeus, 1761)

Update 04. February 2012: The bumblebee species Bombus lucorum (Linnaeus, 1761) was observed breeding in the Faroe Islands for the first time in 2011. The breeding locations were in Strendur and Runavík in Eysturoy.

Bumblebee / Bombus lucorum (Linnaeus, 1761) Bumblebee / Bombus lucorum (Linnaeus, 1761) Bumblebee / Bombus lucorum (Linnaeus, 1761)
 
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